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	<title>transform &#8211; Fountain Magazine</title>
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		<title>Believers as They Stand Before God</title>
		<link>https://fountainmagazine.com/all-issues/2011/issue-83-september-october-2011/believers-as-they-stand-before-god/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Louima Cunningham]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Issue 83 (September - October 2011)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[believers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bestowed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blessings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[divine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[god]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[good]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hearts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lead Article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[long]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[means]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[path]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pleasure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[times]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[world]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://107.21.79.195/all-issues/2011/issue-83-september-october-2011/believers-as-they-stand-before-god/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The believer is one who believes and trusts, one with prospects for a secure future who is trustworthy to others. S/he is a monumental figure marked by a special distinction imbued with contrasting colors, one within the other. Throughout their lives, believers bind all their actions to the consideration that God is watching them; they [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The believer is one who believes and trusts, one with prospects for a secure future who is trustworthy to others. S/he is a monumental figure marked by a special distinction imbued with contrasting colors, one within the other. Throughout their lives, believers bind all their actions to the consideration that God is watching them; they always act in a refined and courteous manner-whether in the presence of God alone or in the company of others-which is enviously admired by all. Their feelings are vast and deep, and they stand with politeness; good conduct, respect, and kindness are their main attributes. Even if their lives are at stake, or they face oppression or slander, they never deign to behave crudely and act only in lawful self-defense. Believers are exceptional, for they display an elegance and profundity that arises from the awareness of their status as servants of God-they are as kind as much as they are cautious, fully conscious of what they say and do; they avoid frivolity in all matters, while maintaining calm and lenience with a generous heart open to all.</p>
<p>Believers have hearts that are rich and spacious—with room and prosperity enough to welcome all, offering bowls of love and embracing others with compassion. They share the blessings of their closeness to God with those with whom their paths cross, and strive to inspire their souls. One can see them at times joyous, even intoxicated with dreams of the day they will encounter the Real; other times, they are anxious in fear of the Divine, shivering in the thrill of such a splendid reunion. They see through the mist and smoke of hatred and revenge; they do not feel the thunder, gusts and waves of jealousy or slander that hit their soul and disperse, nor are they depressed by palpitations from the misery caused by adverse circumstance. They are in a lofty Presence, and all incompatibilities are deleted from their imaginations and thoughts-their hearts, spirits, and feelings are purified and clear. Verily, there can be no other condition for those who cleanse themselves of impurities several times a day. There can be no rips in the canvas of their graceful souls as long as their inner spheres have been filled with bliss that descends from beyond; their behavior corresponds to the affluence and wisdom thereof. Their path is well-set, their destination lofty, and none of these are to be bartered for. With commitment to their faith, they acknowledge the great ones as great, and the smaller ones as a rose to be smelled with compassion. Everything is classified properly in the taxonomy of values.</p>
<p>Believers maintain their distance from plans and projects that are unrelated to their high ideals, confused thoughts that do not ultimately lead to the Supreme One, profane behavior, or empty words and considerations. They are active in thinking when they are silent; their speech is remembrance and all of their outward and inward faculties are locked onto the One. They are complaisant, as deep and pure as an angel ready to soar. Their motivation is head-spinning, but respectful toward the Exalted Station to which they have turned; they are judicious enough not to prioritize their personal plans or projects as highly as an ideal. Their eyes observe the horizons; their endeavors are powerful enough to pierce mountains. Believers are men and women of insight, and while they are stimulated by an intense desire to introduce the beautiful patterns of belief to others, they are also aware of the necessary subtlety their works involve.</p>
<p>Believers make their brief lifetimes long enough to build this world and to invest in the next. They do not waste even the smallest of the many innate blessings bestowed upon them; they do not busy themselves with useless things that promise nothing for this world or the world to come. They can give away all that has been bestowed on them for the pleasure of the One while scrupulously making sure a single penny is not wasted. They pay strict attention to righteousness and to what is lawful and what is forbidden. All that they do, they do within the framework of raising the glory of the One&#8217;s name, so that all their actions become heavenly waterfalls and rivers. They live cautiously and thoughtfully, searching for possible means to convert one drop into an ocean or claim the sun with an atom. They strive to eternalize transient things.</p>
<p>Believers love for the sake of the One; they breathe love and kindle love all around. They rush to stop tears and agony, they apply antidotes to pain, they transform weeping to laughter, moaning to praise, and storms of fire to breezes of pleasure. They scream to stop the screams of the world and their tears flow like rivers. They develop self-esteem only if it means something to others, thus preferring &#8220;us&#8221; over &#8220;me.&#8221; They are not selfish but altruistic; they are not drowned in corporeality, but are soulful and absorbed in the truth that lies beyond. They do not allow their hearts to be hidden in their bodies or their spirits trampled under their corpses. They seek a prophetic dignity and protection from sin. Champions of discipline, believers are content with the pleasures and tastes within the lawful domain—they outperform their carnal selves and sensuality, reach the respective horizons of their spirit and overcome each obstacle with one single move, God willing.</p>
<p>Believers are so firmly determined to represent good conduct and prevent mischief and hideousness that they race beside the angels, who say, &#8220;All-Glorified You are (in that You are absolutely above having any defect or doing anything meaningless, and Yours are all the attributes of perfection). We have no knowledge save what You have taught us. Surely You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.&#8221; Such believers never abuse the blessings that are innately bestowed in contradiction to the purpose of their creation; they are loyal and God honors them with His company in turn.</p>
<p>Existence per se is a trust to every individual, and it is to be equipped with noble human values. Aspiring to Heaven, having the capacity, realizing the method to attain the same, and potentially being able to encounter the beauty of the One-these are each a trust bestowed to human beings in order to set them on the path determined by the Almighty Creator. Committing sins, straying from the path, and leading a life of sensuality are treacherous acts that crush such innate blessings; they delight the devils and embarrass the residents of the Divine Abode.</p>
<p>Believers of mature faith use their initial gifts as a means to attain further blessings of servanthood to God, His proximity, and His good pleasure, as an indication of their true identity. Those with weak or nonexistent faith cannot comprehend the gifts or their meaning, and thus cannot benefit from them in the course of belief, divine knowledge, and love; they will be deprived from secondary and eternal favors.</p>
<p>The latter group not only neglects the afterlife, but its constituents are discontent in this life as well. They must endure many additional problems and their lack of faith leads to depression. They destroy their own peace with hysteria and paranoia, and transform this world, which is an aisle to the illuminated realms beyond, into Hell. They cannot truly love others; they hate them and hatred is what they receive in return. They agonize with avarice and lament with longing for what they cannot obtain. They tremble out of fear of death and undergo many tribulations in order to live longer, frequently leading to health problems and mental disorder. White becomes black, good becomes bad, and vice versa. Those who do not think like them are enemies and traitors. Nightmares of betrayal engulf their sleep, causing even more suffering, as the seeds of the Hell in their conscience bring about the experience of the actual Hell in advance.</p>
<p>True believers, on the other hand, ameliorate each favor in abundance, like an ear of grain producing as many as seven, seventy, or seven-hundred more grains. Each of these favors becomes a staircase ascending to the One, a ramp to attain His good pleasure. Then believers march to their destination together with the inheritors of the Heavens.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Nucleation</title>
		<link>https://fountainmagazine.com/all-issues/2009/issue-72-november-december-2009/nucleation/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Louima Cunningham]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Issue 72 (November - December 2009)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atoms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bubbles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[form]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freeze]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liquid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nucleation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nuclei]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[particles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[specific]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[surface]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://107.21.79.195/all-issues/2009/issue-72-november-december-2009/nucleation/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Every day we boil water in our homes for tea, cooking and various other reasons, and during the summer months we usually ensure that there is a constant supply of cold water in the fridge. While some of us can drink cold water direct from the refrigerator, others can only drink it lukewarm. In our [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every day we boil water in our homes for tea, cooking and various other reasons, and during the summer months we usually ensure that there is a constant supply of cold water in the fridge. While some of us can drink cold water direct from the refrigerator, others can only drink it lukewarm. In our daily lives, we continuously transform water, the substance that the Creator sends to provide life to everything on earth, from one form to another without even remembering the actual freezing or boiling processes; the only thing that we are aware of is the fact that if we want to cool the water, it should be placed in the refrigerator, but if we want to transform water into ice, it must be put in the deep freeze. The temperature inside the refrigerator is above zero, whereas in the deep freeze compartment is below zero. So what happens if we reduce the temperature of water to 0C<sup>o</sup> and keep it at this temperature?</p>
<p><span id="more-1082"></span></p>
<p>If we try to fill a glass of soda without letting it overflow, we usually notice the bubbles or froth of the drink. As we fill the glass, bubbles form on the surface and these tiny bubbles grow. Reaching a certain size, the bubbles escape from the liquid surface, and vanish into the air. If we put our finger, or a straw into the soda-as most of us did as children- we immediately notice that tiny bubbles of gas form on the object immersed in the glass. Just like in the freezing of water or in the escape of gas from soda, a precise energy exchange occurs at the initial stage of any phase transformation. Completion of any phase transformation &#8211; freezing or condensation (clouds transforming to rain)- is impossible without such precise energy exchange. The fact that all these phase transformation occur with precise energy calculations in the best possible temperature ranges to support life is a clear proof that nothing in the universe was created by mere coincidence, and that everything occurs by the command of the Almighty.</p>
<p>We know that everything in the universe obeys the minimum energy principle. If we want to freeze water, all we have to do is to cool it to a temperature below 0°C, and the transition from water to ice begins. Water molecules tend to gather together to form clusters. When five to ten of these molecules bond together, however, a difficulty is encountered. The formation of solid-liquid, solid-gas, or liquid-gas interfaces requires a specific amount of energy. In the beginning, the surfaces of these clusters are quite large as compared to their volumes such that the energy they receive to form an interface is much greater than the energy they release; therefore the state of minimum energy is not reached. To explain this to you in another way: let us assume that we manufacture beads for the production of costume jewelry and garments, and the surface of the beads requires treatment. If the beads we manufacture are smaller than the specific size, they will be more expensive to treat, and therefore will not cover the costs, so only producing beads exceeding the specific size will be profitable to the manufacturer. The main aspect here is actually the size of the beads, so if manufacturing beads which exceed the specific size is simpler and more profitable, rejecting the beads smaller than these specifications would be inevitable.</p>
<p>As in this example, because of their high energy value, the molecular clusters formed initially (embryos) return to a liquid form. Then once again the particles begin to bond, but again the result is the same. An embryo must grow to a certain size for its surface area to decrease in comparison to its volume and thus reduce its energy. This is only feasible when many atoms bond, for only when a sufficient number of atoms join together does the embryo transform into a nucleus, and then begin to crystallize and eventually become solid. The process called homogeneous nucleation is only possible under certain conditions: the liquid must be at a temperature of around –40 C<sup>o </sup>for both the transition in the balance of energy, and for the water molecules and atoms to become solid and bond to form a nucleus. If we contain pure water totally motionless in the deepfreeze at approximately –8 C<sup>o</sup>, we will have supercooled water that has not yet transformed into ice; the temperature between the nucleation and the freezing points, is called supercooling. Supercooling is a metastable condition where liquid or gas remains supercooled without actually becoming frozen, but the slightest intervention or movement can cause the substance to transform into a solid. The tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide in soda is also in a metastable condition, for as soon as the bubbles have the opportunity, they escape from the liquid and vanish into the air. If we immerse a straw or finger into a glass of soda, this forms an added surface, which also facilitates a solid-gas interface, and if we add a teaspoon of sugar to the soda, this induces the drink to froth and bubble at great speed. Water boiled in a saucepan actually nucleates on the wall of the container.</p>
<p>Supercooling is a metastable form of the substance. Every substance or solution has a specific temperature value for cooling. For instance, liquid copper transforms into a solid at 1083 C<sup>o</sup>. Homogeneous nucleation requires the bonding of 310 atoms, and supercooling to approximately 236 C<sup>o</sup>.</p>
<p>Under normal conditions, substances which have more than one type of molecule undergo phase transformation known as heterogeneous nucleation. In this case, the atoms form primarily on the walls of a container on particles of impurity, or minute solid particles in the liquid, and this significantly reduces the surface energy barrier for nucleation. So for a moment let us return to the bead example. We have discovered that instead of directly manufacturing smaller beads, it would reduce the costs of decorating the surface of the beads to coat and treat larger beads, so the beads are being produced in this way, thus reducing losses.</p>
<p>Supercooling can occur at temperatures even as high as 2–3 C<sup>o</sup>, and this is very important. The condensation of water or supercooled water droplets in clouds must reach a specific size and weight in order to fall to the earth as raindrops. Here, the solid microscopic particles combine to form nuclei. Even if the clouds are much lower in temperature, rain cannot form without nuclei. Particles of salt which escape from the sea, sand that rises from the desert, the sulphate released from the ashes of volcanic activity or minute atoms of dimethyl sulphate emitted by certain planktons are driven into the atmosphere by the wind and form nuclei. As the Almighty, the Creator of the universe revealed in Al-Hijr, verse 22 of the Qur’an: “And We send the winds to fertilize, and so We send down water from the sky, and give it to you to drink (and use in other ways)” indicating that one of the duties of the wind is fertilization. Even the particles in smoke released irresponsibly by humans from industrial chimneys, or from car exhausts form nuclei that eventually transform into rain.</p>
<p>During the foundry process, solid substances are added to liquid metals for certain purposes, such as enabling metal to set more rapidly, or increasing the metal’s durability. When liquid metal is cooled, its atoms form nuclei on microscopic solid impurities. These nuclei increase in size and assemble into groups called grains. The irregular zone between these groups is known as the grain boundary. The grain boundary forces the compressed atoms to move and weld, thus increasing the durability of the metal. This method known as infusion or grain contraction ensures an increase in the formation of nuclei, and also in the durability of the metal. Cloud seeding, a topic which mainly comes to light when there is a lack of rain, is actually inducing the clouds to form artificial nuclei that will in turn produce rain.</p>
<p>Some creatures on earth protect themselves with mechanisms bestowed by their Creator, and one of these creatures is the wood frog. As the water in its cells begins to freeze, the antigel protein found in its blood surrounds the formation of nuclei, and prevents the nuclei from increasing in size. The frog remains frozen and motionless until the temperature increases. If we touched a wood frog in this condition, its cells too would freeze suddenly, and the frog would die. It is impossible for a frog to know how to cool to the point of freezing, and nucleate. It is also impossible for a frog to adapt to such a mechanism because this would require practice and experience, which would of course be deadly. Therefore, is the frog’s ability to freeze, and its process of nucleation not a clear indication of the providence and blessing of God the Almighty?</p>
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